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THE BRITISH are not just coming — they have arrived; about 500,000 are living in France. In Languedoc, in the South, there has been an explosion of newcomers; 1,500 new families, many of them Brits, settle there every month. French television programmes earnestly debate the British invasion. The talk in local cafes about les rosbifs is more unbuttoned.
So it’s only natural that there’s one question every British man and woman asks when settling in France — will I be accepted by the locals? The dream of sunshine, great wine and food, and la belle vie can quickly turn to a suspicion and gloom. After the superficial “bonjours” from the locals, it’s all too easy to feel isolated.
 In 1994, when I bought my first house in the Languedoc, in the village of Cessenon-sur-Orb, near Béziers, these questions never arose; we were the only foreigners in the village. House prices remained static and affordable to locals (estate agents didn’t exist), mains drainage was not universal and life was much as it had been for generations. If the villagers detested anyone, it was the snooty Parisians with their flash cars.
But charter flights changed all that. Suddenly there was an influx of people who couldn’t speak French and who marvelled at the cheap housing. From 2002 house prices started rising steeply. The British invasion had started. In the past four years ten English families have settled in my village, which has a population of 2,000. On the village’s new housing estate five of the 20 houses are owned by Brits. The neighbouring village of Saint Genies de Fontedit, with a population of just 1,000, now has ten resident English families and 50 English holiday homes.
Eric, 73, and Felicity Stephens, 70, decided to decamp from Britain to the South of France last year. “It can be nerve-wracking at times,” he admits. “But generally it’s been a great learning curve. Language has not been a barrier, although I struggle as I’m not in contact with the French on a regular basis. However, there is such a network of expats that they introduce you to things and we don’t feel cut off. Of course, we lose things in translation, like when the workmen removed our shutters when they installed our new doors!” Felicity adds: “I’m making an effort to learn French and I find people are very patient and kind. Getting work done on our house has helped us make contacts within the village.”
Chris Groves first came to France on holiday as a teenager. Now 40 years old, he is married to a French woman and they have two daughters. “I learnt the language through my jobs and by reading Asterix comic books,” he says. “It took me about nine months to stop thinking in English and have a fluent conversation. Now I regard English as my second language. It helped that I slotted into the way of life.
“There is some anti-English feeling in the village where I live, but it’s mainly just jokes. The British tend to form expat societies, which puts a brake on any forward movement, both with the language and integrating into life, and they end up living in Bolton-in-the-Sunshine. That’s what stops them being French.”
Freddy Rueda, who runs the realestatelanguedoc.com agency near Béziers, says: “Thirty per cent of foreigners who buy in the Languedoc are from the UK, so they make up the largest percentage of foreign buyers. Some English people don’t mix with the French and they use UK builders, which is not appreciated. Integration means using local services.”
My aim in settling in Languedoc was to become bilingual within five years. After six years of immersion I’ve partly succeeded. I am occasionally mistaken for a Frenchman, but the more I learn the language the more I realise I don’t understand it — the nuances, the play on words, jokes that are part of the culture. I work as a salesman for a local building firm, so that’s good. Most of my friends are French and I feel out of place when I return to the UK. But I have noticed a growing intolerance of the English.
The Mayor of Cessenon, Christian Francés, says: “The English tend to isolate themselves in their homes, with high fencing, and they have also formed their own community. They should take more part in village activities and clubs. The problem of integration is mostly about language. Foreigners who speak good French tend to integrate well. We like being multicultural, we welcome foreigners, because this helps in places like our school.”
When I look back to my first couple of years in France it wasn’t easy, and I realise how far I’ve progressed. A full-on French evening would fry my grey matter. Then there’d be the jokes about my accent, or my muddling up of masculine and feminine nouns. All very funny, but utterly frustrating. I can understand why foreigners tend to take the easy option.
Having youngsters who attend the village school certainly helps. Through my completely bilingual children, with their local accents and an ability to bounce freely between two languages, I met other parents. And it was thanks to my children that my French progressed rapidly at first: I would help them with their devoirs, which improved my vocabulary and sentence construction and, as kids speak a simpler version of the language than adults, I made an effort to talk to their friends.
I also quickly realised that interests transcend language. I joined the village cycling club, the motorcycle club and the canoeing club, and met a host of like-minded people who didn’t care about my origins or my grammar.
Resentment of foreigners may exist but it is often skin-deep. We’ve just had our four-night village festival. One of the servers behind the bar told a French friend of mine that he didn’t like the English, so I bought him a beer. The next evening I bought him another beer and we had a 20-minute conversation about motorcycles. Half an hour later he bought a round of drinks — for a group of English people.
’ALLO’ALLO
Learn the language Take lessons, read newspapers, and watch French television. Carry a notebook to jot down new words and phrases. Above all, don’t be shy
Join in It could be cycling, drama or art. This way you will quickly make friends
Children Make an effort to speak to other parents and teachers
Work A part-time job will help you to become fluent and be more confident
Expats Don’t become one and start craving for a pint. Think and act French
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